10 Recent Movies That Avoided Obvious Mistakes
6. Problematic Casting - A Different Man
When it was first announced that Sebastian Stan would be playing a man with neurofibromatosis for his new film A Different Man, there was immediate concern from some about the problematic potential of Stan's casting, of hiring a "conventional looking" person to wear prosthetics to play someone with neurofibromatosis rather than just... hiring an actor who actually has the condition.
But Aaron Schimberg's blackly comedic thriller is quite ingeniously built around this very idea, given that Stan plays a character, Edward Lemuel, who undergoes an experimental medical procedure to cure his condition.
More to the point, Adam Pearson, an actor with neurofibromatosis best known for his memorable role in Under the Skin, plays a substantial supporting part in the story, with a major theme being the duality of Stan and Pearson's characters. It's certainly an interesting and creative way to immediately diffuse any concern about Stan "appropriating" a role potentially better suited to another actor.